U.S. yanks Cairo embassy Twitter feed over Jon Stewart tweet

4/3/2013

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Embassy in Cairo has at least temporarily shut down its Twitter feed following an unusual diplomatic incident involving “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart and the Egyptian government.

U.S. officials say the embassy's Twitter account was taken offline today after Egyptian authorities objected to a tweet containing a link to a Stewart monologue this week. Stewart mocked Egypt's president for the arrest of a high-profile satirist. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

It was not immediately clear if or when the feed would be restored. The Twitter blackout comes as tensions between Washington and Cairo have soared in recent days over concerns that the Egyptian government is backsliding on the protection of human rights.

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